Around the League: Early NFL Departures and How They Affect OSU

With the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft passing on Jan. 15th we now have a clearer picture of what teams will look like in 2018. So, let’s go through each Big 12 team and see how these early departures could affect OSU this upcoming season.

Oklahoma

TE – Mark Andrews, Jr.

Recipient of the John Mackey Award given to the nation’s top tight end, Andrews started all 14 games for the Sooners in 2017 and was often Mayfield’s go-to target on big downs. He was a unanimous AP All-American and finished 6th in the Big 12 this season in receptions with 62, 9th in yards with 958, and 6th(!) in TDs with 8. He demanded defenses’ attention and is surprisingly elusive for 6’5″ 250 pounder. He didn’t show up big in Bedlam this year, but he’s been giving teams trouble in all of his three seasons at OU and should fair well in the NFL projected to go late first to second round.

OT – Orlando Brown, R-Jr.

The captain of arguably the best offensive line unit in the country for two seasons and standing at 6’8″ 345 lbs, Brown is a sure-fire 1st round pick in the upcoming draft. He earned second team All-American honors in his redshirt sophomore season and went on to receive unanimous first team honors this year. Playing left tackle for the Sooners he was rarely not the biggest man on the field. (Seriously, he’s huge.) He’s one of those guys you can just look at and know he’s going to the NFL one day. And thankfully now he is. OSU is bringing back most of its dynamic defensive line unit next year, so maybe they won’t have as much trouble getting to Kyler Murray as they did Baker Mayfield – thanks in large part to Orlando Brown. (One can dream.)

DT – Du’Vonta Lampkin, R-So.

Lampkin only started two games at Oklahoma, both of which coming this season against Texas and Kansas State. His tenure in Norman started off rocky with a 6 game suspension, and he was also suspended for the opener in 2017. In two years he chalked up 23 total tackles with 5 of them coming for loss. Though he doesn’t have the stats to prove it he was a late-season force on the defensive line and hopes he garnered enough attention to take his game to the NFL. OU is losing a dude here, but they’re replacing him with some incoming high star recruits.

Kansas State

WR – Byron Pringle, Jr.

Pringle started every game for the Wildcats following his freshman season and racked up 69 receptions, 1,355 receiving yards, and 10 TDs along the way. You probably became way too familiar with Pringle this season when he showed up in Stillwater and had a career day against the Pokes. He had a mere 4 catches for 166 yards and 3 TDs…  and yes, an 89 yard kickoff return for a TD. If you want to relive that nightmare, here you go.

CB – D.J. Reed, R-Jr

Reed was Kansas State’s best defensive back during his two seasons in Manhattan and played about as well as corner can play in the Big 12. He had over 100 tackles in just two seasons, along with 7 interceptions and 5 tackles for loss. He was also an electric threat on special teams having a TD on both punt and kickoff return this season alone. He was sidelined with an injury in this year’s showdown against the wildcats, but in the 2016 meeting he picked off Rudolph and charted 7 solo tackles. Kansas State will have a tough time finding a new D.J. Reed.

Kansas

DE – Dorance Armstrong Jr., Jr.

Armstrong Jr. playing defensive end for the jayhawks is one of the best things that has happened for the program in recent years. His breakout season came in 2016 where he had 10 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and 40 solo tackles. Those 20 tackles for loss were the most in the Big 12 and 7th among all NCAA teams. As you might assume, Armstrong Jr. will be very tough for the Jayhawks to replace moving forward, but no one can blame him for wanting to get out. He’s projected by some to go in the 1st or 2nd round.

Texas Tech

WR – Keke Coutee, Jr. 

Coutee had one of the best years for a slot receiver in recent memory for the Red Raiders in 2017, where he brought in 93 receptions (6th in the nation), 1,429 yards (4th in the nation), and 10 TDs (tied at 16th). Coutee is a bit undersized for an NFL prospect, 5’11” and 180 lbs, but he is shifty, fast, and explosive as all get out, so his measurables could propel him upwards on boards as draft day draws near. He never eclipsed 55 yards against the Pokes, but it wasn’t uncommon for him to go for 100+ on any given Saturday.

Texas

S – DeShon Elliott, Jr.

Elliott is Texas’ ballhawking safety who picked off 6 passes this year and returned two for TDs: he also forced 3 fumbles. 2017 was his coming out party as he established himself as one of the best safeties in college football. He was the runner-up for the Jim Thorpe Award and is a finalist for the Lombardi Award. Elliott is likely a 2nd to 3rd round pick and would have a hard time increasing his draft stock if he were to return for his senior year, so it makes sense for him to go. You can thank DeShon Elliott, in part, for playing 35 yards off the ball against the pokes and triggering Mike Gundy to run the ball 95 times.

CB – Holton Hill, Jr. 

Hill had an excellent junior season at Texas, but only played in 9 games due to a suspension for violating team rules.  He had 9 tackles against the Pokes in this year’s match, all of which came against Justice Hill. (Which isn’t actually true, but hearing the announcers make jokes about it over and over again sure made it feel true.) Hill was a key component in the Texas secondary who they’ll be replacing with a true sophomore or incoming freshman.

OLB – Malik Jefferson, Jr.

Malik Jefferson is a man who was made to play on Sundays and has proven that in his three seasons at Texas. At outside backer he was a constant run stopper and a ferocious pass rusher racking up 26 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He’s been preparing for the NFL since he first stepped foot on campus, which is why he elected to sit out this year’s bowl game against Missouri. Jefferson is at-worst an early 2nd round pick and is nearly impossible for Texas to replace. Another huge blow to the Texas defense.

OT – Connor Williams

Williams was the left tackle for the longhorns in 2017, but was sidelined for most of the year with a knee injury. Despite not enhancing his resume in 2017, Williams made the most of his time at Texas and is projected to go in the early first round. He won the starting job as a true freshman and went on to be a consensus All-American in his 2016 sophomore season. Touted by one 12 coordinator as the “best left tackle in the league, maybe country”, Williams will be frustrating coordinators and linemen of the Big 12 no longer.

P – Michael Dickson

It’s not often you see a punter declare early for the NFL draft, but arguably less often does a young man have the type of season the likes of which Michael Dickson had in 2017. Winning the Ray Guy Award given to the nation’s best punter, earning a spot on the first team All-American squad, and even being named MVP of the Texas Bowl (He really was. I didn’t believe it either.), there isn’t much more Dickson could do to elevate his draft stock. He flipped the field like few before him ever have, and if you watched OSU’s game in Austin you understand how he basically took over the game. It’s tough to say where he’ll land on draft day, but Texas hopes to replace Dickson with his cousin, who’s also from Australia, Ryan Bujcevski.

Rest of the League

The remaining 12 teams saw no underclassmen declare early for the NFL draft, but two big names out of West Virginia will be returning: Will Grier and David Stills. The Mountaineers’ version of Rudolph2Washinton connected for 980 yards in the air and amassed an insane 18 TDs. They bring back the most proven QB in the entire Big 12, which we’ve seen can be enough to carry a team to a college football playoff berth. We’ll see how far they can take the Mountaineers in 2018.

Other Notable Returners

• Kansas State – Bill Snyder returning for his 27th season!
• Oklahoma State – Tyron Beckham Jr. going for another bag year